This archive report was first published on 26 August 2019.
Matthijs de Ligt, the 20-year-old Dutch defender who joined Juventus in a £67.8million switch from Ajax this summer, was left on the bench in the club's Serie A opener against Parma on Saturday night.
Speaking to Dutch publication AD, de Ligt said: “Naturally, I would've preferred to play and I didn't get any clues from training, so I didn't expect to be on the bench.”
Despite being left out of the starting lineup, de Ligt remains optimistic about his chances of earning a starting spot. He admitted that he has always been prepared to battle for a place in the team.
“I have to earn my place throughout the season. The first five weeks have been tough on a physical level, but I do notice that I'm getting stronger,” de Ligt said.
De Ligt will hope that he can get the required game time when his side host title rivals Napoli in Turin in a league match on Saturday.
